The use of far infrared systems in military applications is continually increasing. These systems include those for visual augmentation such as image intensifiers and those for target detecting and tracking such as heat seeking missiles. Unfortunately, the technology for testing and evalutating such systems is thus far inferior to that available for the visible and near infrared spectrums. For example, there are currently no means for providing a high-resolution, wide field of view, dynamic image in the far infrared spectrum, although various means have been tried. The most promising means has been a passive thin-film visible-to-infrared transducer, but such a transducer has mutually contradictory requirements. Specifically, for best image quality lateral spread of the infrared image must be minimized; this implies a very thin film. Also, a thin film gives high resolution and is able to follow rapid changes in a visible image. However, for mechanical strength, a thick film is required. My invention, as described below is able to resolve these contradictions, and to provide a thin-film transducer capable of providing an infrared image with the desirable characteristics mentioned above.